Such an Honor to be Nomintated!

Wow!  I am SOOOOO excited.  Cindy from Mrs. Price's Kindergatgors has nominated my little 'ol blog for the Liebster Award.  

What is a Liebster Award you might ask?  Well, basically it's an honorary award given to blogs with less than 200 followers by other people in the blogging community.  If you are nominated, then you tell a little bit about yourself, and then you nominate other new bloggers who you enjoy.  Isn't that cool.  It's a little bit like a chain letter and a little bit like the Screen Actor's Guild awards.  Actors always say they like being nominated for those just as much as Oscars or Emmys because they are nominated by their peers, and that means so much more.  Well, that's just what this is...other bloggers telling you they think you are interesting and worthy.  Who wouldn't love that? 

 

To accept the nomination I must:
1. Link back to the blog that nominated me
2. Nominate 5-11 blogs with fewer than 200 followers
3. Answer the questions posted for you by your nominator
4. Share 11 random facts about yourself
5. Create 11 questions for your nominees
6. Contact your nominees and let them know you nominated them

 

First, I nominate the following bloggers for the awesome contributions to this community!  You ladies can find your questions at the bottom of this post. 

• Jen at Sparkling in Second
• Cheryl and Jen at 2nd to None
• Nina at Lovely Little Learners
• Bridget at Hard Core Teacher Resources
• Alisha at First Grade Follies

 

Cindy's questions for me:

1. What is your favorite grade to teach?  Well, I have taught first grade and fifth grade, and I am always asked which I like better.  I really can't answer that, because they are both so different.  They are both wonderful in their own special way.
2. What is your favorite time of year and why?  Definitely fall.  I love when the weather is cool to cold, although it doesn't get very cold in Texas.  I love the smells of fall the most....cinnamon, pumpkin, caramel.  Bath and Body Works is going to have to beat me away with a stick come September.  LOL
3. What was your favorite trip you have ever taken?  That is a hard one.  Probably the first time I went to Washington DC.  It was 5 years ago, when my daughter was 7.  My best friend from college had just moved there, and I had always wanted to go there.  She invited us to come and stay with her during that summer after my mom offered to buy us plane tickets.  We stayed for 3 weeks, and saw the fireworks over the Washington Monument on the 4th of July.  It was magical, and it reconnected me with one of my most favorite people in the world.  Also, there are so many amazing things to do and see that are free.  Great for a teacher!
4. What was the last conference you attended?  It was Eric Jensen's Teaching with Poverty in Mind.  I went with my principal, asst. principal, and about 5 other teachers from my school.  It was great, and I use the concepts about how the brain functions in my personal and professional life.
5. What was the last book you read?  I am currently reading like 5 different books.  I can't remember the last one I finished, sadly, but the ones I am reading now are: The Life of Pi, 11/22/63, The End of Molasses Classes, The Next Best Thing, and The Great Santini.  Talk about a strange variety, but there you have it.  :)
6. How do you relax during the school year?  I love to cook and bake.  The smell of garlic and onions or a baking pie always makes me happy. 
7. How long have you been blogging?  Just under a year. 
8. Where did you go to college?  I went to the University of Texas at Austin.
9. What is your favorite product off of Teachers Pay Teachers?  Probably my Magic E Read and Write the Room.  It really isn't that fancy, but when you print it out on colored paper, it turns out so cute.  It doesn't take a lot of ink, and reading the room is my firsties favorite thing to do...hands down!
10. Do you use a smart board in your classroom?  No.  Our school has two smart boards for all of us to share, and when you want to check it out, you have to roll in down and find room for it to go.  It takes a lot of floor space. :(  But, we did decide to set one up in the science lab last year, and we could go in there to use it.  That was a good option. 

 

11 Random facts about me:

1. I love macaroni and cheese...could eat it everyday.
2. I am a huge Spurs fan.  I <3 Tim Duncan. 
3. I could watch old episodes of Three's Company all day.
4. I love to swim.
5. I don't have a favorite color.
6. I love to teach science.
7. If I could wear jeans and flip flops every day of my life, I probably would.
8. I HATE hot weather...and I live in Texas.  Not a good combo.  :)  But, I do love Texas.
9. My favorite place to be is on the beach at sunrise and sunset.
10. I would love to visit Europe.
11. I love, love, love Harry Potter.

Alright, here are the questions for my nominees:

1. Where did you go to college?
2. What is the last movie you saw?
3. What is your favorite product on Teachers Pay Teachers?
4. What is the hardest thing about teaching?
5. What are your hobbies?
6. Are you an indoor person or an outdoor person?
7. What is your favorite holiday?
8. What is something you want to make for your classroom this year?
9. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
10. Do you cook?  If so, what is your favorite recipe?
11. What is your favorite place to shop?

My *I-wish-it-were-Budding* Blog :)

I love this linky idea.  I follow a lot of blogs, but I know there are sooo many more.  Great way to see new blogs that are just starting out that we might not have run across yet. I'm not sure my blog could be classified as budding, because I have no followers yet.  So, I'm calling it my I-wish-it-were-budding blog.  :)  Maybe one of you will be inspired to become my first follower...who knows?  Then click on the picture below to find other budding bloggers. 

1. Why did you start blogging?
I read a lot of blogs for a lot of years, and I loved all the collaboration and ideas that they provided.  So many times over the years that I have been teaching I have made something, and people have said that it is great and that I should share it.  I just never had faith that it was something worth sharing...it was just something I whipped up for my fifths or my firsties.  But as I was reading all of the other blogs I realized that is what these people are doing.  They are just sharing what they are already creating for their classrooms, and it has been so helpful for me.  I decided that maybe I could offer up my own experiences as well, and that someone else might find it helpful too.

2. What is your favorite subject to teach and why?
My favorite subject to teach is definitely science.  There is so much interesting content there, and it is ALWAYS engaging for kids.  It's never hard to convince them that science is fun to learn.  I love all that information and all of that enthusiasm.  Some of my science favorites for firsties are plants and life cycles.  Some of my science favorites in fifth grade were energy and earth science.  I <3 SCIENCE!  Reading is for sure a close second, because I have always love to read.  It's easy to teach something you naturally love, because the kids feel your excitement and it spreads to them. 

3. Describe your teaching style.
I am VERY structured with super high expectations.  I feel like it is my job to push all kids to their highest potential intellectually and behaviorally.  I also try hard to give them experiences that they have never had.  For example when I used to teach 5th graders, we would carve pumpkins in October.  It's such a little thing, but I can not tell you how many of my students told me that it was so fun and that they had never done it before.  I play all kinds of music from around the world, and I try to read books they might not choose for themselves.  I want them to leave my class smarter, more autonomous, and better behaved.  I hope they remember that I loved them fiercely, and that I always, always, always pushed them to do their best.   

4. Give three interesting facts about you.
1~ I have a daughter. She is the love of my life. *BUT*...she is in middle school. I will happily accept all prayers you have for these next few years.  I know you feel me on this one.
Here is a picture of us before and after the color run earlier this month.

2~ I love to cook and bake. I'm trying to lose weight, so I have been holding off on the baking this past year. I made the mistake of buying s'mores fixins though, and I keep making them in my toaster oven. BAD idea!! 

3~ My favorite quote is "Tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it."  It is a line from Anne of Green Gables.  It has gotten me through some very bad days.  I have to remind myself that no matter what, I can always try better and harder tomorrow.  Tomorrow is ALWAYS a new opportunity to be a better human being, and that I should treat it with forgiveness for others AND for myself.

5. Do you have a TpT store? If yes, post the link :)
I do.  It is small aka budding.  :)  I'd love for you to visit it and follow it, as it is sure to grow!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Wallis-Wilson

Thanks for reading about my little 'ol blog.  I'd love to hear from you anytime!